Space heater converter for cooking stove



Oct. 25, 1966 N, sc z 3,280,813

SPACE HEATER CONVERTER FOR COOKING STOVE Filed Dec. 22, 1964 )NVENTORGORDON N. SCHAENZER M u-M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,280,813 SPACEHEATER CONVERTER FDR COOKING STOVE Gordon N. Schaenzer, 11737 N. SolarAve. 77W, Mequon, Wis. Filed Dec. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 420,346 3 Claims.(Cl. 126-4) This invention relates to improvements in heaters, and moreparticularly to a novel device for converting a conventional camp stoveinto a room heater.

Many campers, hunters, fishermen and others utilize a portable gasolinecamp stove to prepare their meals, and it has long been recognized thatit would be advantageous if such a stove could also be employed as aheater to warm the campers tent, trailer, or cabin, particularly on coldnights. Unfortunately, however, conventional camp stoves cannot be usedfor this purpose because the flames from the stove burners are liable tostart a fire, and are extremely dangerous. Moreover, the heat from theburners rises directly to the ceiling of the dwelling and does noteffectively warm the entire interior of the room.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal objects of the presentinvention are to provide a novel heater conversion device which fits ontop of a conventional camp stove, thus covering the burner flames andeliminating the possibility of fire, and which novel unit is designed todisperse the heat evenly throughout the interior of the dwelling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel device forconverting a conventional camp stove into a room heater, as described,which device can be folded into a small, compact unit when not in use,for easy and convenient storage or transporting.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a novelheater device for camp stoves which is rugged and durable inconstruction, relatively inexpensive, simple to use, and which device isotherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects andadvantages will become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises thenovel camp stove heater accessory device shown in the accompanyingdrawing, and all equivalents thereof.

In the drawing, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the heater device comprising theinvention in operative position on a camp stove;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view through theassembled stove and heater unit, taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through said heater andstove assembly; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the heater device folded into acompact unit for storage or transporting.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral designates aconventional two-burner camp stove, the burners being designated by thenumeral 13. Said stove is rectangular in form and includes a gasolinetank 12 having adjustable means for directing gasoline to said burners.A grill 14 is hingedly connected to the upper, back portion of saidstove, and the complete stove assembly includes legs 11 and a top cover15 which can be swung to a closed position over the stove top to pro-3,289,8l3 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 vide a completely closed, portableunit. While a gasoline stove has been illustrated and described herein,it is to be understood that the present invention will also have utilitywith other types of stoves or ranges, including those burning oil, wood,etc.

Such stoves are in widespread use by fishermen, hunters, and campers forcooking hot meals, but as hereinabove mentioned, they are not ordinarilyused to heat the interior of the campers tent or trailer because theuncovered flames are dangerous, and because the heat provided by theburners rises directly to the roof and does not function to eflici-entlywarm the interior of the dwelling. Consequently, the present practice ofmost campers is to obtain a separate heater, which is not only anexpense but which relatively large and bulky devices are aninconvenience to transport; or, more commonly, the campers sufferthrough the cold night without the benefit of a heater. It is with theseconsiderations in mind that the present invention has been designed,said invention providing a conversion heater unit for a camp stove whichis adapted to disperse heat evenly throughout the interior of the tentor other dwelling, and which device provides a protective covering overthe burner flames to prevent accidental fires.

In accordance with the present invention, it will be seen that theassembled conversion device 20 is triangular in cross section andincludes a first longitudinal wall 21 formed of sheet metal of suitablegauge, and a second, similar longitudinal wall 22, said walls beinghingedly connected along their abutting upper edges by means of hinges23 or other suitable connecting means permitting relative swingingmovement, said panels diverging downwardly and outwardly therefrom.Hingedly mounted at the apex of said inclined panels, intermediate thelength thereof, is a handle 26, and mounted at the opposite ends of theunit are triangular end panels 29 and 30. Said end panel 29 is hingedlyconnected to the longitudinal panel 22 by hinges 31, and the end panel30 is connected to the longitudinal panel 21 by hinges 35, thusproviding a mounting arrangement whereby said side panels can be swungabout their hinge connections from their assembled position to aposition wherein they lie flat against the longitudinal panels when thelatter are pivoted together, as is shown in FIG. 4. This is an importantfeature of the present invention because it permits the complete heaterdevice to be collapsed into a flat, compact unit for convenient storageor shipment, as will be hereinafter described in greater detail.

As will be seen, said panels 21, 22, 29 and 30 are pro vided with amultiplicity of small, spaced apertures or perforations 24 which aredesigned to disperse the heat of the stove laterally outwardly and moreor less uniformly throughtout a room, in contrast to thestraightupwardly path followed by the heat normally emitted by thestove. It has been found that with the present device the multiplicityof openings 24 therein, together with the angular panel arrangement,function to effectively heat the entire interior of a camp tent,trailer, or cabin, or the like. It is to be understood, however, that inlieu of small, spaced apertures it is also possible to utilize elongatedslotted openings, or other opening arrangements, and the invention isnot to be limited in this respect.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper edge portion of the stove 10 hasformed thereon an inwardly-projecting flange 16 surrounding theperiphery of the opening, and the lower, corner portions of thelongitudinal heater panels 21, 22 are provided with cut-outs 25 whichare adapted to seat on the flanged portion of the stove end walls (FIG.2), the intermediate portion of said longitudinal panels seating ondownwardly and inwardly-directed right-angular flanges 16' (FIG. 3)formed on the stove longitudinal walls, thus providing a simple mountingarrangement which ensures stability of the heater unit 20 when it is inuse, but which permits said unit to be readily lifted from the stovewhen desired.

In the illustrated form of the invention the heater end panels 30 and 29are provided with right-angular inturned flanges 39 and 32,respectively, along their free edges, which are designed to overlie theend portions of the longitudinal panels 22 and 21, as shown in FIG. 1.Said flanges are provided with apertures 34 and 33 which are adapted toreceive rivets or nubs 38 formed on the longitudinal panels, thusproviding snap-in type releasable locking means for maintaining the unitin its assembled condition. In this respect, however, it is to beunderstood that the invention is by no means to be limited or confinedto a structure including identical locking means, nor any of the otherstructural details shown and de scribed. The illustrated device isintended merely as one possible embodiment of the invention, and it iscontemplated that numerous changes or modifications could be made in theminor details thereof without departing from the spirit and intendedscope of said invention.

In the use of the present invention, after the campers have finishedtheir meal and desire to retire for the night, the camp stove may bequickly converted into a room heater merely by swinging the grill 14upwardly to the out-of-the-way position shown in FIG. 1, where it willnot become overheated, and mounting the heater conversion unit on top ofsaid stove. The burners 13 may then be turned on and set at any desiredheight, depending upon the amount of heat desired, and during the courseof the night said heater unit is designed to direct the heat uniformlythroughout the interior of the dwelling, as described. In the morning,or whenever it is desired to use the stove for cooking purposes, theheater conversion unit 20 can be readily removed merely by grasping thehandle 26 and lifting said unit from the stove. To facilitate thehandling of the heater after it is in use for a prolonged period, saidhandle 26 may be formed of an insulated material, although it has beenfound that this is not ordinarily necessary.

When it is intended to store the heater 20, or to transport the same,the end panel flanges 32, 39 may be disengaged from the snap protrusions38 on the longitudinal panels 21, 22, and said hingedly-connectedlongitudinal panels are folded together, as shown in FIG. 4. The endpanels 29 and 30 are then swung in opposite directions about their hingeconnections 31, to a position where they lie flat against saidlongitudinal panels, and the handle 26 is pivoted downwardly against thepanels, thus providing a flat, compact unit which requires very littlespace for storage or shipment. As hereinabove mentioned, conventionalheaters are not only expensive but they are relatively bulky andinconvenient to carry or store, and the compact design of the presentunit when it is not in use is one of the principal features of theinvention.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a novel heater accessory for a conventional campstove which permits the use of said stove as a room heater for a tent,trailer, or other dwelling. Said conversion device is designed todisperse the heat of the stove substantially uniformly throughout aroom, and it is also adapted to provide a protective covering for theburners, thus eliminating the possibility of fire in the dwelling.Moreover, the present unit is so designed that it can be quickly andeasily collapsed into .a small, compact unit for easy storage orshipment.

Another advantage of the present device, in contrast to a camp stovewithout said unit, is that the apertured plates function to diffuse andminimize the light emitted by the burners, which light is bothersomewhen a person is attempting to sleep. It has been found, in fact, thatwith the present invention just enough light is provided to allow aperson to walk about the room during the night without bumping intotables or other obstructions, but which relatively dim light does notinterfere with sleeping.

It is to be understood, of course, that numerous variations ormodifications may be made in many of the details of the illustrated formof the invention, and it is intended to cover herein not only the exactstructure shown and described, but also any and all modifications orchanges therein as may come within the spirit of said invention andwithin the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangulartop opening, a device for converting said stove into a room heatercomprising: first and second longitudinal panels having a plurality ofspaced openings therethrough, said panels being hingedly connected alongtheir upper edges and being positionable to diverge downwardly therefromin covering relation to said housing top opening; a pair of end panelshingedly mounted on said longitudinal panels, at opposite ends thereof;and locking means on said panels adapted to releasably maintain saidinterconnected panels in their operative condition, the disengagement ofsaid locking means permitting said hingedly-connected longitudinalpanels to be swung together, and the end panels to be swungthereagainst, to provide a flat, compact unit when not in use.

2. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangulartop opening, a device for converting said stove into a room heatercomprising: first and second longitudinal panels having a plurality ofspaced openings therethrough, said panels being hingedly connected alongtheir upper edges and being positionable to diverge downwardly therefromin covering relation to said housing top opening; a handle hingedlymounted at the apex of said longitudinal panels intermediate the lengththereof; a triangular end panel hingedly connected to the end of saidfirst longitudinal panel, said end panel having spaced openingstherethrough; a triangular end panel hingedly connected to the oppositeend of said second longitudinal panel, said end panel having openingstherethrough; locking means on said panels adapted to releasablymaintain said interconnected panels in their operative condition, thedisengagement of said locking means permitting said hingedly-connectedlongitudinal panels to be swung together, and the end panels to be swungthereagainst, to provide a flat, compact unit when not in use.

3. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangulartop opening surrounded by a marginal flange, a device for convertingsaid stove into a room heater comprising: first and second longitudinalpanel: having a plurality of spaced apertures therethrough, saic' panelsbeing hingedly connected along their upper edge: and being positionableto diverge downwardly therefrorr in covering relation to said housingtop opening; mean: on the lower portions of said panels adapted to coactwitl said stove marginal flanges to provide secure, removablt seatingengagement of said diverging panels thereon i1 covering relationship tosaid stove top opening; a nul formed on each of said longitudinal panelsadjacent op posite end edges thereof; a handle hingedly mounted a theapex of said longitudinal panels intermediate th length thereof; atriangular end panel hingedly COIlIlCClIEt to the end of said firstlongitudinal panel, said end pane having spaced apertures therethrough,and said end pane having a right-angular flange formed on a free edgthereof positionable in overlying relation to said SCOI11 longitudinalpanel; a triangular end panel hingedly con nected to the opposite end ofsaid second longitudina panel, said end panel having aperturestherethrough am having a flange positionable in overlying relation tosail References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1926Coleman 12638 5/1952 Egbert "126-248 FREDERICK KETTERER, PrimaryExaminer.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CAMP STOVE HAVING A HOUSING WITH A RECTANGULARTOP OPENING, A DEVICE FOR CONVERTING SAID STOVE INTO A ROOM HEATERCOMPRISING; FIRST AND SECOND LONGITUDINAL PANELS HAVING A PLURALITY OFSPACED OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, SAID PANELS BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONGTHEIR UPPER EDGES AND BEING POSITIONABLE TO DIVERGE DOWNWARDLY THEREFROMIN COVERING RELATION TO SAID HOUSING TOP OPENING; A PAIR OF END PANELSHINGEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID LONGITUDINAL PANELS, AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF;AND LOCK-